Coincidental Destiny
by Lilfrozenfire
Summary: A series of interconnected one-shots showing how Fate has her own quirky way of making sure things happen in a specific manner, even if the parties involved have no idea.
1. Chapter 1: Tomorrow

Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha_, the characters, or the original plot line. Any original character who may appear are mine. I doubt I'll have any, but you never know.

* * *

_A six-year-old girl stood by the swing sets with her best friend, tears streaming from her blue-gray eyes. "Why do you have to go?" she inquired heatedly. "You could stay with us! I'm sure Mommy wouldn't mind!"_

"_Kagome, Dad has a new job in the States. He'll need me to help with Inuyasha." He reached out and brushed her tears away, mindful of his claws. "It won't last forever."_

_Kagome rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands with a frown. "I don't care! You're my friend and it isn't fair! What if you don't come back?"_

_The older boy smiled sadly, his golden eyes lacking their usual shine. "I will still be your friend no matter where I am. Right now, I'm with you. Tomorrow I'll be in the United States. While things won't be exactly the same, we will still be friends."_

"_Promise?"_

"_Promise."_

_She smiled so angelically, the boy could not help but give a small smile in return. "Best friends to the end!"_

"_Sesshoumaru. It is time to go," a baritone voice called._

_Sesshoumaru gave a small sigh. "I guess this is 'good-bye' then."_

_Kagome gave him a severe scowl. "No. This is 'see you later.'" She gave him a big hug. "See you later."_

"_See you later, then." He stood there a moment longer before turning and walking towards his father. He could smell the salt of his friend's fresh tears._

_

* * *

_

Sesshoumaru woke with a slight frown. That was the third time this month he'd had that dream. The most disturbing part was how the scent of her tears lingered upon waking. He ran his claws through his silver hair in frustration, a habit he picked up from _her_. He had no idea why this particular dream kept happening. It happened many years ago.

Sighing, the demon rolled over and looked at his alarm clock. The face proclaimed 5:45. _'Might as well start the day.'_

_

* * *

_

Meanwhile, a black-haired girl sat up in her bed, sending a rather large cat tumbling. "Sorry, Buyo. I just had the strangest dream." She sighed, the memory of silver hair walking away from her still fresh in her mind.

The cat gave her an affronted glare as if to say, "And that means you can move me…?" Kagome rolled her eyes as the cat started licking his fur. "You are such a baby. It's not like you were the only being disturbed by that." He continued cleaning, ignoring her. She looked at her clock and groaned. "5:45! As if that would work!" With that, she laid back down and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

_A/N: This will be a series of interconnected one-shots inspired by my music collection. Whenever I feel like writing, I will put my entire player on shuffle and just write to that song. Hopefully, this will help resurrect my muse. As the entire portion will be written with the song on repeat, this may also force me to type faster (or just finish the story sooner.) The inspiration for this one came from "Tomorrow" by Strawberry Alarm Clock._


	2. Chapter 2: True Believer

Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha_, the original plot line, or the characters. Any original characters that may appear do belong to me.

* * *

_Kagome laid on her bed with an empty shoebox and a pile of loose paper and photos next to her. _

_She sighed and turned onto her back, her hair fanning the pink pillows. Her gaze strayed to her desk where pictures stood in frames of every shape and color. There were pictures of her brother's baseball games, her mom and dad's wedding, last year's Christmas party, and her archery competition. Her eyes, however, were drawn to the picture in the front. The picture was not recent. It was taken at her sixth birthday party. She stood in the foreground, a pink tiara on her dark hair and a large grin on her face. Flanking her were the Taisho boys, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. Both of them had a scowl on their face. The cause was the pink icing covering the three of them. Inuyasha had said something that caused Kagome to throw a piece of her cake at him. He ducked and the sugary missile hit the unsuspecting Sesshoumaru. Instead of retaliating on his best friend, he shoved his entire plate of cake in Inuyasha's face. Naturally, this escalated into an all-out food war. Her mother caught the result on film, laughing at the picture made._

_Shortly after, they had left. Taisho-sama was offered the position of Japan's youkai ambassador to the United States. It was one of the worst times of her life._

_Kagome sighed and looked at the piece of paper she held in her hand. It was the last note she'd received from Sesshoumaru over four months ago. After receiving monthly letters from him for a good ten years, she was extremely distressed. The letter in her hand was different from the others. It was almost as if writing her was a bother. She glared at the familiar scrawl. "I guess it was." Buyo looked at her from the windowsill and meowed. "You're right. I won't waste my time on him."_

_She knew her mother, grandfather, and brother were worried about her. After the first month without a letter, she'd grown depressed. The second month saw her more apathetic regarding her studies and other friends. The third month she was angry. She would snap at people with the slightest provocation. Last month, she just stopped responding. This month, she decided she would change. There was no reason for her to give up on life and everything in it just because of one guy. Granted, that guy was her best friend, but that was beside the point._

_She sat up and put all the notes and photos back in the shoebox. Kagome walked over to her closest and put it on the highest shelf in the back corner. She gave one last look to the closest before closing the closest door and walking out of her room. For the first time in a long time, she had a true smile on her face. She knew she would not give up._

_

* * *

_

"Kagome? Kagoooooooome…Earth to Kagome!"

The young woman sat up with a start. "Sorry about that, Sango. I was just thinking."

Her friend lifted an eyebrow, her chocolate eyes laughing. "Talking about the wedding cake led to that deep of contemplations? I know cake is good, but it's not that good."

Kagome looked shocked. "Are you serious?! Cake is definitely that good, especially if it's chocolate! What kind of woman are you? You're a disgrace. Blasphemy!" She couldn't tell Sango that she was thinking about Sesshoumaru. Again. Ever since those dreams started, she found herself thinking about him more and more. Her friend would just become worried about her; that was the last thing she needed with her wedding just a month away.

The smell of the coffee shop lulled her into a relaxed feeling as Sango chattered about Miroku, the wedding, work, and, of course, gossip. Eventually she looked back out the window at the snowflakes falling. She frowned to herself. "That's funny…"

"What is?" Sango asked in between sips of her Chai latte.

"Oh. That Kagura slapped Kouga." Kagome could tell that her little improvisation did not work by the look in Sango's eyes. "It's nothing. I just thought I saw something. I guess it was the snow."

"If you say so. Let's go. We have to catch the bus in 15 minutes." As the women gathered their jackets and purses, Kagome quickly snatched a glance out the window. She swore she'd seen silver hair across the street.

* * *

_A/N: This portion was inspired by Jimmy Wayne's "True Believer."_


	3. Chapter 3: New Divide

Disclaimer: I do not own _Inuyasha_, the original plot line, or the characters. Any original characters that may appear do belong to me.

* * *

That look given by those cold, golden eyes had caused many brave men and youkai far to tremble in fear. The accompanying slight frown and raising of the eyebrow sent them scurrying to do his will. How unfortunate that look could not be transmitted via telephone. "Find the incompetent imbecile who authorized that and have him report to me first thing tomorrow morning." With that, Sesshoumaru snapped the phone shut, slid it into his pocket, and continued his brisk walk back to the office.

He transferred his glare to the individual snowflakes that dared fall upon his person. Unlike others, he saw no beauty in winter. The snow and ice made for hazardous traveling conditions and the cold made humans more susceptible to illness. The illness then caused people to miss work and that was simply unacceptable. That, coupled with the coughing, sneezing, and wheezing proved the weakness of the human condition to the young taiyoukai.

Not needing to pay attention to where he walked, Sesshoumaru let his mind wander. He had heard the whispers around the office about his increased temper. Not that he actually cared, but he had to admit, even only to himself, that he had been more abrupt and easily riled. He noted with disinterest that not even the normally soothing scent wafting from the coffee shop across the street was capable of placating him. Of course, he knew the source. _'Her...'_

When the dreams first started four months before, they occurred roughly thrice a month. Now they were occurring on a nightly basis. The dreams of _her_, of his past, of his long-forgotten childhood. They nibbled at his thoughts throughout the day, causing him to become distracted. With the memories, came the anger that accompanied the remembrance of the betrayal.

He was jolted out of his revery by someone brushing against his jacket. The scent of vanilla and sandalwood lingering on his sleeve caused his eyes to widen imperceptibly. _'It can't be...'_ Sesshoumaru growled in annoyance as the streets were too busy and the bitter cold of winter dulled the smells, making it impossible to pinpoint where the scent originated.

He mentally snorted. _'Preposterous. It must have been the memories.' _Satisfied with that explanation, he continued back to work.

* * *

Kagome and Sango left the coffee shop, crossed the street, and started walking toward the bus stop. The calming white snowflakes falling against the somberness of the bustling crowds reminded Kagome of why she loved winter. The symphony of people walking over the crunching snow helped calm the young woman. She held out her hand and watched at little white dots started covering her blue mittens. Starting to giggle, she spun in a small circle.

As the wind picked up, Sango pulled her fuchsia colored scarf a little higher on her neck. "I can't believe you actually enjoy this weather," she grumbled. "And stop spinning before you hit someone. Or, knowing you, before you fall down."

Kagome stuck her tongue out. "Just because you're a Grumpy Gus doesn't mean I have to be."

"'Grumpy Gus?' Excuse you? Do I look masculine? 'Negative Nancy' would work better. However, I'm simply being realistic."

"Uh-huh." Kagome closed her eyes as she spun in another circle. Unfortunately for her, there was a small chunk of hardened snow. Her foot caught on it and she stumbled, brushing against another pedestrian. She glared at the smirking Sango. "Don't even think about it."

Wiping the smirk off her face, Sango blinked innocently. "Think about what?"

"Exactly." She pulled her purse higher onto her shoulder. "I can't believe that someone who hates winter as much as you do is getting married in it."

"I don't hate winter. I just hate the cold that goes with it." It was a time honored argument between the two women. They had it every year since they were little. It was not about who was right and who was wrong; it was just one of those things they did. _'It used to be a thing I did with _them. _Now it's just us.' _Kagome mentally shook herself as they reached the bus stop. _'Stop thinking about the pompous ass, Kagome. It's not as if you'll ever see him.'_

* * *

Sesshoumaru slid his key into the various locks and proceeded to enter his apartment. _'The days in the office keep getting longer. Something has to be done. Perhaps terminating the incompetent employees would help.' _He methodically took off his black cashmere scarf and leather gloves. He then took off his wool jacket and hung it on the brass coat stand. _'No. If I did that, there would be no one left beyond myself.' _He slid out of his shoes and left them by the door to dry. Padding down across the wooden floors of his living room, he let all of the tension from the day leave his body.

Pausing next to his dark cherry wood table, Sesshoumaru let the candles sitting there. The calming scents of vanilla and sandalwood floated through the air. He loosened his red silk tie as he continued to his bedroom, intent on spending the evening relaxing. He slipped out of his suit and padded to his bathroom. After his shower, he wrapped the white terrycloth towel around his hips with a loose knot. After that, he went to his kitchen, intent on a glass of wine. He picked up the remote sitting on his marble counter top and soon Bach's Cello Suite No. 1 was resonating through the air.

As he looked out the kitchen window, he noted that the snow was still falling against the night sky. _'She loved this weather.'_ Sesshoumaru curled his lip in a silent snarl. He tossed back the rest of his Bordeaux and put the glass in the dish washer. The scents of vanilla and sandalwood teased him, making him more agitated. Frustrated, he swirled around and used his light whip to slice off the candle wicks, effectively stopping the smell. He stalked back to his bedroom, hung his towel up in the bathroom, then slid under his satin covers. Laying on his back, he willed all thoughts to leave his mind as he slowly fell asleep.

* * *

Kagome took her time walking home from Sango's place. The temperature had dropped noticeably, but she really didn't mind. The fact that she could see her breath only added to how alive winter made her feel. It was this season more than any other that really forced awareness of one's self. The coolness of the wind brought a rosy hue to her cheeks. She could feel the snowflakes melt on her eyelashes with each blink.

She started up the steps of her ancestral home. "This time, I am _not_ going to fall. If old people can do this, so can I," she huffed to herself. It wasn't so much that the steps were icy (Grandpa made sure that Souta did that right), but the steps were fairly steep. That and Kagome's slightly clumsy.

"_You're such a klutz," he said with a smirk. "It's a good thing you have me here to catch you."_

_'The snow was falling then just as it is now,' _she thought. A pang of nostalgia went through her. _'He would always say that during the winter. Even though he didn't care for the snow, he would still be out here with me.' _She sighed and continued her journey up the shrine's steps. At the top of the stairs, she smiled in triumph. "Take that! Ha!"

"How about if you take this?" She had warning. She honestly did. However, before she knew it, a huge snowball hit the side of her head. She turned and narrowed her eyes as her brother and his friend, Shippou, high-fived each other.

"You know what this means?" she asked calmly as she leaned downed to pack some snow with her mittens. As she straightened, the boys gulped at the size of the snowball she held. Kagome couldn't help the smirk that crossed her lips as her eyes glinted mischievously. "This means war!" She launched the snowball and quickly hid behind the torii as the boys retaliated. The volley of snowballs continued for a good twenty minutes before she called out in surrender.

"You two win," she panted. She smiled as Souta and Shippou jumped up and down in triumph. However, the smile quickly turned into a grimace as she took in the state of her mittens. Realizing a lost cause as the mittens were caked with snow, she took them off and reached up to take off her hat. Looking at the boys, she noticed they were just as snow covered as she was. "Let's go inside and see if Mama will make us some hot cocoa."

"Alright!" the boys chorused and ran ahead.

Once inside, Kagome laughed at the picture the boys made. There they were, standing in the middle of the kitchen, a pool of melting snow forming on the once dry floor at their feet, begging Mama for hot chocolate. _'Poor Shippou's tail!' _The once proud appendage was soaked, water forcing the fur to lay flat. She took her jacket off and hung it up. She then took off her boots and left her hat and mittens in a pile on the floor. She went into the bathroom and grabbed four towels. As she passed through the kitchen once more, she dropped on on Souta's head and gave two to Shippou. "Why don't you two get out of your wet clothes and dry off while Mama makes the cocoa?"

Satisfied their cocoa was being made, the boys ran off to do what they were told. Kagome sighed. "Those two are so full of energy. It makes me wonder if they somehow siphon it from others."

Her mother turned to her with a raised eyebrow and smiled. "I seem to remember thinking the same thing about you. All children are like that. Just wait until you have your own."

Kagome smiled and rolled her eyes. "Mama..." she started.

"I know. Just let me dream about grand-babies." Her brown eyes danced as she handed Kagome a cup of hot chocolate. "Now go upstairs, take a hot shower to warm up, then we'll talk."

She went upstairs and closed the door to her room with a sigh. She set her Eeyore mug full of cocoa down on her desk and skipped into her bathroom. She turned the water on, shimmied out of her wet clothes, and hopped into the shower. Soon, the smell of vanilla and sandalwood wafted throughout the tiny bathroom, floating on the steam from Kagome's shower. After she dried off, she changed into pink flannel pajamas, slid her feet into bunny slippers, and started to braid her damp hair. After that was done, she picked up her mug, put on her terrycloth robe, and headed downstairs.

Her mother was still in the kitchen, sitting at the table while sipping from her own cup. The mop in the corner by the refrigerator let Kagome know how the puddle in the middle disappeared. She could smell the chamomile of her mother's tea. "I still don't know why you would rather drink that than drink all of this chocolatey goodness," she remarked with a sigh. To prove her point, she sat at the table and took a sip from her cup. "It's so nummy and chocolatey."

"I need all the help relaxing I can get," her mother teased with a smile. "And how was your day?"

"It was good. The children were little sweethearts. Well, except for when they were outside. Then they ran around trying to throw snowballs at each other." She noticed her mother's knowing look. "I'm allowed to throw snowballs, especially at Souta. It's my duty as a sibling," she defended. "Anyway, today was a half-day so Sango had me help her with wedding plans after work." She paused and took another sip. "She went in for a fitting for her dress. Thankfully it fit."

"I don't know why she isn't doing a traditional wedding," her grandfather remarked from the doorway. He shuffled across the kitchen until he was standing in front of the women. "Miroku comes from a long line of monks. That should be reason enough. In my day..."

"Young people respected tradition and obeyed their elders," Kagome and her mother chorused.

He leveled a glare at them. "They also respected their elders. Hmph." With that, he shuffled back into the living room, muttering about the youth of today.

Kagome exchanged looks with her mother before continuing. "Anyway, after the fitting, we went to the little coffee shop downtown. Then we went on a few more errands. Miroku had supper ready when we got her apartment. It's really not fair that man can cook that well. Then I came home and got attacked by those two delinquents."

"Sounds like you had quite the day."

"Yep!" Kagome glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh no! I have to get up early tomorrow! Since I have that archery competition in the afternoon, Sango's dragging me to the dress place in the morning."

Her mother raised her eyebrows. "Why didn't you try on your dress while you were there earlier?"

"Because it wasn't done yet. That's why it was a good thing that her dress fit. I swear she almost breathed fire!" With that, Kagome turned and bounded up the stairs, leaving her mug for her mother to clean.

_

* * *

_

Kagome poked her tongue out the side of her mouth as she concentrated. Since her targets had youkai blood, they had higher senses. She had to get it right the first time. She took careful aim and then launched the missile. It streaked through the air with deadly precision. It was going to be a direct hit! Then her main target moved and the snowball hit the being standing beside him. "Uh-oh..."

_Taisho-sama raised a silver eyebrow at her as his sons stood there, watching. Inuyasha was laughing outright while Sesshoumaru merely had a smirk on his angelic, no 'demonic' face. His smirk grew bigger as Kagome glared at him with all the fierceness her ten year old face could muster. After all, the snowball was meant for him and _not _for his father._

"_My apologies, Taisho-sama," she murmured with her head bowed._

_The tall youkai stalked over to her, brushing remnants of the snowball off his coat. He looked at her from his imposing height before looking back at his sons. He leaned down as if to talk to her at her own level. "Kagome," he started as he picked up some snow, his body hiding his actions from his sons. "The proper way to do that is like this." With that, he spun and threw two snowballs, hitting his sons square in the face. With that, he followed her mother into the house._

_Sesshoumaru was the first to recover. Kagome could tell by the look in his golden eyes that he had his heart set on revenge. She tried to hide her shriek as she ran, the young youkai just a few steps behind._

_This was the first time the Taishos had been back in Japan in four years. Though they had all grown up a little and made new friends, the three were still close. However, even then Sesshoumaru was colder than he used to be. He still smiled, but they were less frequent. He also acted more mature. At least that's what he called it. Kagome called it "acting like a stick in the mud." Thus, it was a happy young miko who was being chased by a youkai. Her laughter was contagious and soon Inuyasha was laughing while Sesshoumaru just smiled._

_They played in the snow for hours. They built forts, had snowball fights, and made snowmen. By the time they were finished, all three of them were soaking wet. They went inside when Taisho-sama called, trekking water through the kitchen. Higurashi-san already had mugs of hot chocolate and hot apple cider ready. Kagome coughed a few times throughout drinking her hot chocolate. Inuyasha laughed at that and her red nose, calling her Rudolph while mocking her weak human-ness. Sesshoumaru merely frowned._

_The following day, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru came back. "I'm sorry, boys," Higurashi-san said. "Kagome isn't feeling well enough to play today. I'm afraid yesterday's fun caused her to catch a slight chill."_

_Inuyasha went back to his mother. Sesshoumaru decided to stay and watch over his friend. "I'm a youkai and can't get sick," he told the girl's mother solemnly. He went upstairs and frowned at the state Kagome was in. Her face was flushed and he could tell her breathing was labored. He found the washcloth her mother had been using to try and lower her temperature. As he placed it on her forehead, she opened dull blue-gray eyes. "Now do you see why this season is useless?" he inquired gently._

_She simply smiled and fell back asleep._

* * *

Two beings woke the next morning after having the same dream. One was a taiyoukai with golden eyes and silver flowing hair. The other was a miko with blue-gray eyes and her black hair all tangled up. Two beings with different reactions to the same dream. One was annoyed that dreams of that nature were plaguing him constantly. The other was sad because those days were over, but happy because they happened.

_

* * *

_

A/N: This portion was inspired by Linkin Park's "New Divide" as well as the Prelude to Bach's Cello Suite No. 1.


End file.
